All Our Days
by RYNO IV
Summary: The battle is over. It is done. All the blood has been spilt, the anger quenched, old hates satisfied. But at the end of it all, after everything that's happened, what about us?
1. Chapter 1

I'M BACK, BABY! God, I haven't posted anything for a good long time, since last year I think. As for the reason for the delay? God-awful writer's block. It is truly the bane of the universe, wanting to write but unable to. It was a struggle, but I've finally got my creative juices flowing again.

Now, there's basically one person that helped me through this, and her name is KarmaHope. She is my awesome, awesome beta, and someone I'm proud to be able to call a friend. Karma, whenever you read this, thank you.

As for the main event, it basically spawned itself after listening to All Our Days. I... seriously, don't try to write if you listen to it, you will cry. Bucketloads. This is not a story that will make you feel good, this thing is born from my raging emotions and need to post a story that will, hopefully, make you feel something as well. Eventually, I may be persuaded to continue it...

Thank you for giving my little story the time of day.

I do not own RWBY or it's characters, that honor goes to Roosterteeth.

* * *

Cinder tried to scramble away but slipped on the blood-soaked ground, fear in her once-predatory eyes. Around her, the worst battle ever to be recorded in Remnant's history was drawing to a close after a long week filled with heartache and, in Yang's case, complete and utter fury. Hundreds of bodies littered the battlefield - Grimm, White Fang, and Hunters alike, as each side had never given an inch in the bloody struggle.

Hundreds of years from now, when the Forever Fall's scars finally healed, people would say they could still smell the blood and death soaked into the very ground itself. But here, now, in the present, Yang strode towards her prey. She was an enemy no longer, not after what she had done to Vale. Cinder was a _parasite,_ a leech to be _burned_ with her own fucking fire.

Yang reached down with her remaining right arm and hauled the battered woman back to her feet before drawing her in close.

"_WHY?!"_ Yang screamed as she slugged the parasite in the face. Cinder shrieked in agony, the dust-enhanced buckshot ruining her left eye, and collapsed once again. "None of us deserved this! _No one _deserved this! _What gave you the right!? WHY THE FUCK DID YOU DO THIS, CINDER?!"_

Instead of answering, Cinder moaned and spat a glob of blood as she cradled the left side of her burned face. She slowly got to her feet, and then _smiled_ as she met Yang's hate-filled gaze.

"Who says I needed a reason?" Cinder asked, her voice low and seductive.

The effect was instant – Yang screeched in white-hot, murderous hatred as she leapt at the madwoman, focusing all her Aura into one final blow. The shotgun blast echoed over the field, practically blowing Cinder's head clean off her body. It ignited what was left, incinerating the woman into naught but ash before she even hit the ground. Yang stood there, her arm poised to strike again before the fact that the fact that she had just killed Cinder Fall - the madwoman who had brought Vale to its knees and had nearly dragged the rest of Remnant down with her - registered in her mind and she felt all the strength leave her body.

Yang groaned as forgotten pains made themselves known, collapsing to her knees now that her fury was no longer holding back the sheer amount of damage she had taken. There was a pain in her abdomen from when she had been bowled over by a Boarbatusk – internal bleeding. Several ribs were broken and there was a searing pain in her ankle, which was twisted at an unnatural angle. Her left arm had been taken by Cinder in the final confrontation, blown off above the elbow when she had been distracted by… _Ruby!_

Fear filled the blonde, and she staggered back to her feet as she clutched her stump in an attempt to stem the bleeding. Stumbling across the eerily quiet battlefield, Yang had the thought that she was the last survivor, though distant clashes of metal quickly dismissed that. Stepping around a pile of broken and twisted White Fang corpses, Yang had to struggle to move on when she saw her partner, her favorite kitty cat, in the middle of the throng with nearly a dozen blades through her body. She was kneeling, having died leaning against Gambol Shroud as she'd tried to get back on her feet.

Yang felt tears prick her eyes even as she smiled, knowing that even against dozens of enemies - and even against death itself - her partner had refused to fall.

There was Ren and Nora, both having died in the other's arms when a sniper got a bead on Ren. Nora hadn't realized that the bullet had enough power to go through at least ten of her.

Yang heard the distant wails of Pyrrha as she clutched the halved remains of Jaune, who protected her exposed back from the Lieutenant. Not a second later, the Invincible Woman turned her gun on herself.

That massive black smudge over there was all that was left of Weiss after she had pushed Blake out of the way of Cinder's sneak attack.

And _Ruby…_

Yang's heart broke at seeing her Rubes. She had snuck off in the night to try to negotiate with Cinder, to try to stop the senseless killing. Ruby had been unarmed, alone, but she still had the courage to do the right thing, something that even Ozpin hadn't been able to do before he was assassinated. And she had been repaid for her efforts when Cinder slowly burned her body, _playing _with her before rallying her forces for battle.

Ruby's arms and legs had torched beyond recognition and there was a black handprint on her breast where Cinder had burned her heart inside her own body. Yang sobbed as she fell to her knees and crawled to the desecrated remains of Ruby Rose.

"Ruby," Yang choked out and laid a hand on her wonderful, her courageous, her _beautiful_ baby sister. Instead of twisted in ugly anguish, Ruby had died smiling, knowing she had done her part and knowing that her friends would be able to finish the job she hadn't been able to complete. Ignoring how quickly her blood began pouring out of her body, Yang laid herself beside Ruby and held her against her chest, ignoring how cold her sister was as she herself began to feel more and more lightheaded.

"We made a promise, didn't we?" Yang asked the air. "I will stay with you all our days."

The air grew colder.

"Hey, don't be sad, Rubes. I want this. We did our part… now let's go see Mom," she said with a grin. Slowly her vision began to blacken, narrowing into a tunnel. With the last slowing beats of her heart, Yang pulled Ruby's body closer and laid a kiss on her baby sister's head.

"I'll see you there, Ruby."

Her body grew lighter and lighter, drifting up towards the sky. Was she afraid? Yes. Yang knew she wasn't the most virtuous person, and she had done things she always regretted in order to keep her sister happy and safe. But the knowledge that she would soon join her gave her peace, and she faded away smiling.


	2. Chapter 2

...So you thought that would be it? No! I'm not _that_ much of an asshole... well, maybe. But not enough to leave it at that.

I actually had a huge mental debate on whether or not I should add this on, actually. At first I thought it might take away from the impact of the story. But that I thought, fuck it. Leaving it like I did left a bad taste in my mouth, and I just couldn't stand doing that to everyone. Both to RWBY, and to you guys. So, without further ado, here is the conclusion to my little story. I might go back and add on more to this, I left it open-ended for a reason. At the moment however, I am currently obsessed with my other RWBY project, which will be released sooner or later.

Thanks for giving my shit a read, guys.

* * *

For the longest time, she could feel nothing. The deepest black enveloped her, caressing her like the warmest blanket. She had no thoughts, no feeling, no emotion – only the deepest sense of peace that she had ever known, and the most comfort she had felt in a long, long time. The girl didn't know how long she drifted in limbo – a minute, an hour, a day, months, years, centuries. Time had no meaning here. With only the slightest push, she could drift deeper still into that feeling. She could feel it forever, without a care in the world. But… something stopped her. Some_one_ stopped her.

_Ruby._

The foreign thought drifted through the girl's mind, giving her pause. Who was Ruby? Did she know her? Where was she? The name made her feel protective, but why? The girl struggled to remember, but the inky black wouldn't allow her.

Suddenly, the comfort didn't feel so comforting anymore. The cloying darkness pulled at her, keeping her from screaming even as she struggled and thrashed against it.

_Someone, anyone! Help me!_

Just as she began to despair, the faintest pinpricks of light shone in the impossible distance. Even from here, though, she could feel their warmth calling her. She struggled and pulled, giving out a silent bellow as she tried to reach that light. No matter what, no matter how, she would reach that light even if it took her forever. No amount of comfort or peace was worth _this_.

Suddenly, just as she made her decision to struggle – to _fight –_ the light shone, banishing the darkness in a wave of warmth. She was suddenly free, drifting in an endless expanse of white, and not only did it give her peace, she felt… _warm._

"Are you gonna wake up anytime soon?"

-O-O-O-

Yang snapped awake, jolting upright from where she had been laying on… grass? She lay under a single tree in a wide expanse of rolling green hills, a warm breeze caressing her face. Compared to the comfort of the inky black, this was paradise.

A loud clatter off in the distance caught her ear, and she was shocked to see Vale as it was before Cinder had destroyed half of it with her Dust bombs. Pristine.

Just what was going on?

"Glad you finally woke up, I've been sitting here for hours," a voice beside her jibed. Yang froze, tears already in her eyes as she slowly looked to her left.

There, leaning casually against the tree and playing with a leaf, was Ruby. Fifteen once again, her youthful face was unmarred by the ten years of chaos that Cinder had wrought, and she was wrapped in loose-fitting robes of a deep, dark red. Yang gaped at seeing her limbs untouched by the fire. "R…Ruby?" she shakily asked.

Ruby blinked. Nervously, she glanced around her, looking for anyone hiding nearby before she leaned in close and stage whispered, "You didn't hit your head on the way here, did you?"

"_RUBY!"_

The girl couldn't do anything before she was glomped by Yang, caught in arms of steel that wrapped around her mercilessly. "Ruby! I…! I don't… _you're alive!"_

Yang was in tears, hugging her sister as she laughed in sheer joy.

Ruby paled. "Y-Yang… can't breathe…" she gargled out.

Just as soon as it had begun, Yang pulled away and held her sister at arm's length as she inspected her. "What happened? Are you okay? Where are we? _And why the hell did you go alone?!"_

"Y-Yang, I-"

"_WE COULDN'T SAVE YOU! WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU WAIT FOR US!?"_ Yang screamed, her eyes glowing red.

Ruby glared back and shouted, "I had to try! I wouldn't have been able to fight anyway, my leg was broken!"

With a huff, Yang pulled her sister back into another hug, this one much gentler. "Rubes… I thought I lost you…"

"Yang…" Ruby whispered, "you did."

Yang froze, thrown for a loop as she pulled away. "Wait… what are you talking about? You're right here –" She stopped, realization dawning on her. "Hold on a sec, where are we?"

Smiling, Ruby leaned against the tree. "I don't know. This place doesn't really have a name."

"Wait, is this heaven? 'Cause if it is, I didn't think I'd see Vale. Kinda disappointing, really."

Ruby shook her head. "No, but I guess you could call it a rest stop. This is a place for second chances, Yang. All those years of hate and war? We can relive them here, how they were supposed to be. We can stay here until we're ready to move on. We can stay here forever if we want."

Yang, for one, was confused. Completely and utterly confused. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish's as she struggled to comprehend what was going on.

"So, are we dead?" Yang asked.

"Yep," Ruby said, popping her 'p'.

"How do you know all this? How did we even get here?"

"Well," Ruby said, leaning forward, "that's the thing. You have to be guided here, and only certain people can do that. Yang… _Mom_ brought me here. She brought us _both _here."

Yang was dumbfounded. "W-Wait… Mom? Summer's here?"

Ruby nodded in excitement. "She left a few minutes before you woke up."

"Does that mean everyone else is here? Blake and Weiss and the gang?" Yang asked eagerly.

Ruby nodded.

"Ozpin? Glynda?"

Another nod. "Everyone that didn't deserve to die when they did, _how_ they did. We're all here."

At this, Yang bounded to her feet, finding that she was in yellow robes of her own. She hauled Ruby to her feet as she asked excitedly, "Then we need to go meet them! This is our second chance, right?"

Ruby nodded.

"Then we need to start things off with a _Yang_!"

"Yang…"

The two sisters walked towards Vale, disappearing entirely over the hills, though their laughter carried for miles. For this was their second chance. They had done their duty – they protected Vale and its citizens as best they could. Their part was over.

Now, it was time to celebrate.


End file.
